Managing public access computers such as school computer labs, is an arduous task. Teachers are constantly finding themselves spending significant time and effort protecting their shared computers from unauthorized changes. Due to reduced educational budgets, most small schools require tools that non-technical staff could manage on their own. Rural school systems around the country dont have IT departments or dedicated PC techs on staff, says Kully Pawa, Senior Account Executive. So its up to teachers to find tools that are both easy to use and manage.

This need was somewhat addressed by Microsoft in 2005. SteadyState (formerly called Shared Computer Toolkit) was part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations ongoing drive to put computers into schools and libraries. SteadyState, was offered by Microsoft as a free alternative for preventing unwanted changes to public PCs.

Why Windows SteadyState Failed to Gain Acceptance

The basic concept behind SteadyState was admirable. However, it was not designed with teachers or librarians in mind. The idea behind SteadyState was to offer a simple-to-use application that non-technical teachers and librarians could use to protect their classroom PCs. Instead, teachers would have to be familiar with Group Policies, Active Directory, and even Windows Server Update Services, in order to actually do the basics with SteadyState. The product did not make the connection with its intended audience, says Lyle Patel, President. SteadyState should have been designed with the layperson in mind. These folks have little, if any, IT training. One would need to be an MCSE technician in order to get the full benefits of SteadyState to work.

SteadyState involved a cumbersome process designed for a very basic need. Unsurprisingly, there was very little adoption among the under-served educational market. In fact, SteadyState soon became popular with higher level IT professionals and not the teachers that it was designed to originally benefit. Perhaps, due to these sorts of support-related issues, Microsoft opted to discontinue SteadyState in 2010. Today Microsoft has no plans to re-introduce SteadyState for Windows 8.

So what are schools to do? Free Alternative to SteadyState

SteadyState failed those it was intended to help. Originally designed for teachers, SteadyState lacked the single most important requirement for adoption: simplicity. The basics need to be met. Reboot Restore Rx, by contrast, was designed with the rural teacher in mind, adds Patel. Some teachers have zero tech skills, yet they are mandated to manage a small group of public computers. Their organizations, also have little money for expensive commercial solutions.

To meet the specific needs of these small schools and libraries, Horizon DataSys has stripped their instant restore technology down to its simplest form. The new freeware is called Reboot Restore Rx. Its a simple and elegant solution that does one thing: restores PCs on every reboot. And it does exceptionally well. Anybody can use Reboot Restore Rx. Although its technology is complex, novice users just need to know how to point-and-click, or just simply hit the reset button!explains Patel. We took a page out of Steve Jobs’ playbook: We kept it insanely simple!

Reboot Restore Rx was officially launched last week, with an overwhelmingly positive reception from the educational and tech communities. As these organizations’ technology requirements grow and they need more functionality, we offer a progressive upgrade path with our RollBack Rx technology, says Patel. When asked, “Why create a freeware utility for users?” Patel responded simply, Because we can! Reboot Restore Rx is a small enough project for Horizon DataSys. We met many of these teaching professionals at various conferences and they described a very basic need, that remained effectively unmet for a few years. Someone had to step up to the plate. Being leaders in PC Roll-back technology, we felt that this was our calling.

About Horizon DataSys

Horizon DataSys Corporation is a privately held software company in Blaine, WA with offices in Canada, and UK. Horizon DataSys develops and distributes computer software applications designed for end-users and enterprises. The company specializes in end-point PC management, OS integrity, and instant restore. The company’s business solutions allow organizations to reduce risks related to software corruption, inadvertent changes, malicious hacks, virus infections, and unauthorized PC access. It’s primary offerings include its Instant Restoration Suite (Rollback Rx, Drive Vaccine, and Drive Cloner) and Virtual Desktop. In addition to its many off-the-shelf turnkey products it also supports clients to customize solutions that suit the specific needs of their IT environment.

Ad guru Lee Clow talks Steve Jobs and Apple at PTTOW media summit
Lee Clow, Chairman and Global Director of Apple's go-to ad agency TBWA/Media Arts, recently discussed the 30 years he spent working with Steve Jobs, as well as the history behind now iconic commercials like those from the "Think Different" campaign.Read more on Apple Insider

Steve Jobs Biopic Starring Ashton Kutcher Will Finally Hit Cinemas This August
The delayed Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gadd will finally hit cinemas this August. Entitled JOBS, the movie was originally set for release back in April, but distributor Open Road Films put it on hold so that it could spend more …Read more on Cult of Mac

Steve Jobs Biopic Stamped with Aug. 16 Release
The biopic will chronicle Jobs' life from college dropout to one of the most esteemed creative entrepreneurs of our time, detailing “the defining characters that influenced Steve Jobs on a daily basis from 1971 through 2001.” Originally, JOBS was set …Read more on Paste Magazine

What Would Steve Jobs Tell Congress?
I was left with the question “would Congress have dared bring Steve Jobs in front of a committee in this manner?” knowing full well that Jobs' personal popularity and habitual bluntness would have left Congress with proverbial egg on their face. I also …Read more on Enterprise Irregulars

Steve Jobs' family reveals they've been giving for decades
Steve Jobs famously co-founded Apple Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios, yet unlike many of the billionaire tech titans in his cohort (e.g., Bill Gates) and those who came after (e.g., Mark Zuckerberg), Jobs has been widely criticized for lack of …Read more on msnNOW

The AmeriQuest Symposium, now celebrating its 10th year of bringing together industry experts, thought leaders, and decision-makers to share insights and ideas, has named Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Bob Woodward as one of its keynote speakers. The Symposium takes place at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, April 17-19.

The AmeriQuest Symposium is the premier platform where industry leaders explore the issues impacting their businesses and then define the solutions and tools needed to create success, said Doug Clark, President and CEO of AmeriQuest Business Services, providing business process outsourcing services. We chose Bob Woodward to give our attendees an insiders view of how the current political atmosphere in Washington will affect their companies future.

Woodward has authored 16 national bestsellers since coming into prominence in 1973, reporting on the Watergate scandal that led to government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. The New York Times has called the work of Woodward and his reporting partner Carl Bernstein maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time.

His most recent book, The Price of Politics, is an intimate examination of how President Barack Obama and the highest profile Republican and Democratic leaders in the U.S. Congress attempted to restore the American economy and improve the federal governments fiscal condition. Woodward is a U.S. Navy veteran.

In addition to Woodward, AmeriQuest Symposium speakers on the agenda include Carmine Gallo, best-selling author of The Apple Experience and The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, and Dan North, Chief Economist for Euler Hermes, ACI. In addition, the event includes educational sessions and a Trade and Technology Reception.

More information is available on the AmeriQuest Website at ameriquestcorp.com/symposium. For sponsorship and exhibitor information, contact Kate Barnes at kbarnes(at)ameriquestcorp(dot)com or at 856-382-4701.

About AmeriQuest Business Services, Inc.

AmeriQuest is a business process outsourcing company, serving more than 1,500 customers throughout North America. Combining unmatched expertise, comprehensive services in the supply management, managed services, and financial supply chain functions, AmeriQuest Business Services helps customers move forward in every part of their business. For more information, visit ameriquestcorp.com.

Yahoo Falls For Tumblr, Google I/O, and Bill Gates on Steve Jobs — 10 Things …
Speaking of the iPad, the Justice Department is closing in on Apple with an e-book price fixing case … but one of the seemingly most damning pieces of evidence, a line from a letter from Steve Jobs to James Murdoch, is a little less damning in context.Read more on All Things Digital

Steve Jobs: 5 (More) Motivational Business Tips
When I wrote Steve Jobs: 6 Tried-And-True Business Tips, it was difficult to select from the hundreds of motivational comments Mr. Jobs shared with the media during his memorable career. As such, this article augments the original list with five …Read more on Forbes

Email From Steve Jobs To James Murdoch Might Show Conspiracy To Undercut …
The Department of Justice is accusing Apple of conspiring with publisher HarperCollins to drive up prices of ebooks. One of the big pieces of evidence in the case is an email from then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs to James Murdoch, deputy chief operating …Read more on Huffington Post